Tuesday Throwback: Q&A w/ 2MEX of The Visionaries (2007)

2MEX of the Visionaries is one of the West Coast's most respected and celebrated underground MC's.

He performs Saturday night at Blue Fin in Monterey, along with The Saurus, Projekt S.E.E.R. and Joint Venture.

I interviewed 2MEX in 2007 for "The Beat." He talked about his community outreach work and growing up in Los Angeles during the Crack Cocaine epidemic. You can read the interview at the link below.
Link: Q&A w/ 2MEX (transcript)

The first time I saw 2MEX perform was 11 years ago, at the annual "Farce of July" show in Los Angeles hosted by Aztlan Underground. I was impressed by the large, bearded, sweaty MC just killing it on stage with another then unknown cat by the name of Busdriver. Both would go on to achieve underground respect and recognition throughout the coming decade.
2MEX apparently has some sort of agreement with Strange Famous Records, Sage Francis' record label. You can read the press release/bio after the jump, written by Sage himself.

Providence Phoenix!

Written by Sage Francis

Whether you’re familiar with his catalog or not, it’s safe to say that 2Mex (aka SunGodSuns) is an underground legend.

His long list of contributions and collaborative work is staggering.2Mex pledges allegiance to Visionaries, Of Mexican Descent, Sungodsun, Afterlife, Project Blowed, the Shapeshifters, Look Daggers, The Returners, and now (with his first east coast alliance) he has signed with Strange Famous Records.

This “golden boy of hip-hop” is possibly the most prolific underground rapper ever, with at least 35 CD releases and too many guest appearances to count. Through hard work and determination, while touring the globe many times over, he has built a cult-like following that tries to keep up with his massive output. Therein lies an anxiety problem and it’s one we’re determined to remedy.

My first exposure to 2Mex was in 1996 when my radio station was serviced with the Visionaries 12″s. I played that material almost every show. Since then we have shared many stages together and every single time we crossed paths he would hand over a new homemade CDR. Every…time. I became overwhelmed at one point and said, “Man…this is too much! You have a lot of great stuff but you’re spreading yourself thin (not literally).”

I’m not one to quell productivity, but the truth of the matter is I felt lost in his catalog. At a certain point an artist’s body of work can lose tangibility and become intimidating to newcomers if people don’t know where to start or end. If you think I’m exaggerating then check his discography dating as far back as 1995:http://www.discogs.com/artist/2Mex

Over the years we’ve had many discussions about the industry, life on the road, and the non-stop grind that indie artists shoulder through in order to reach the “next level” while maintaining their integrity. In this case, the “next level” is raising one’s status, exposure, and access to the public. Breaking the ceiling when you need a sun roof.

The topic of having 2Mex on SFR was raised and I thought it was perfect. He’s a road dog, he has a penchant for girl trouble, he’s a husky man with a beard, and he’s a freestyling fool.

There was one unique condition that we tossed into the agreement:

“This has to be the quintessential 2Mex album. The best of the best. It will be the next level record. The ceiling breaker. It will be the only 2Mex album that you release in the year that it comes out.”

He agreed. We celebrated. We’re plugging away at that project right now.

There’s no telling when the album will be done, but in the meantime, you can check out 2Mex’s SFR debut: the digital release of “Break Up Your Make Up” by The Returners, available here right now, and cop the official SFR 2Mex T-Shirt here.

SFRstore.com is also proud to carry 2Mex’s B-Boys In Occupied Mexico album.